The Associated Press released a story today afternoon regarding the East Ramapo Central School District (ERCSD). The article among other reads:Laura Barbieri, a lawyer with Advocates for Justice, which is suing the district on behalf of public-school parents and other taxpayers, said the board is catering to Orthodox parents who “do not want their children educated with children of color.”

The issue with this repugnant statement is that Orthodox Jewish and Hasidic Schools have opened their doors wide to “children of color.” Refugee children from Yemen and poor Jewish immigrants from South America have been absorbed – occasionally without paying tuition – within the Yeshiva schools systems of many Hassidic communities. In addition, thousands of Orthodox Jews are students in colleges and universities all across the Unites States, all of them without taking the racial component of the class in consideration one way or another.

The suggestion that Orthodox-Jewish run schools discriminate along racial lines is a repugnant lie by Ms. Barbieri. The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council (OJPAC) calls on ‘Advocates for Justice’ to denounce Its Attorney’s repugnant remarks about Orthodox Jews and ensures that the Attorney publically retracts it.